In the past, no one in their right mind would have considered making a major international property investment without personally inspecting the site and meeting personally with the seller. This made investing in foreign properties difficult. International real estate investment was once reserved for highly connected entities with deep pockets. Smaller investors and those just entering the international arena didn’t have access to the most attractive deals, and the complexities of investing solo kept many out of the game.
However, over the last decade CRE has increasingly taken advantage of digital tools and platforms that remove those barriers. Technology is making it easier to make connections and identify opportunities in international real estate investment, in several ways.
#1: Access
Digital tools allow us to explore properties virtually, interact with professionals, and verify critical information more quickly. We have access to a tremendous amount of information, and various platforms specialize in aggregating and presenting information on market conditions, development, and demographics that contribute to sound decision making when it comes to investing locally or around the world.#2: Partnerships and Services
Working through traditional channels required the ability to make contacts in the target market through referrals or associates, and for the most part these were unavailable for foreign properties. Through investment platforms, the players in real estate deals can connect, and investors can verify the credentials, history, and reputation of brokers, developers, and other key partners in the investment process, no matter what the geographic separation.At Brevitas our sellers are all verified, our opportunities vetted to ensure that our users don’t waste time on low-quality deals. We have the international connections you need to be confident in participating in deals around the globe.
#3: Regional Differences
Foreign investment comes with its own set of unique challenges. Understanding the economic situation in an investment’s location is part of the vetting process. Tax considerations, social issues, and local customs for investment play a large part in the potential profitability of a deal, and having access to this information digitally is just the start.Using “big data” to construct a complete picture of conditions and markets is becoming a common practice in real estate, and investors benefit tremendously from access to this information. This facilitates transactions and makes the entire process much more efficient and transparent.
#4: Investment Options
The use of technology has expanded the options available to real estate investors. Crowdfunding platforms for CRE are big news, providing smaller companies and individual investors with the same opportunities available to REITs, in many cases. Certainly we have access to more and better opportunities than ever before, thanks to these digital tools.Our goal at Brevitas is to distill that sea of deals down to the most select, solid, and sound investment opportunities available on the world market. We provide our clients with all of the essential information on these high-quality listings, and we match investments to their specified criteria.
Digital tools are only as good as their content. CRE is still all about connections, trust, and experience. The best technology helps to create those connections and eliminate irrelevant information for confident decision-making.
